Review of Surveys Carried Out in Kottathara Panchayat

- Wayanad District

D Narayana, S Haddad, and Smitha Aravind

October, 2003

1. Introduction

India has a long and strong tradition of parliamentary democracy. But Indian

democracy is highly centralized. Until recently, it was not mandatory to elect office

holders below the state level at district, sub-district and village or municipal levels.

Consequently, the Indian democracy was a parliamentary system at the central and

state levels with bureaucratic governance at the lower levels. The 73rd and 74th

Amendments to the Constitution of India in April 1993 provided the foundation for a

comparable democratic decentralization in the rural and urban areas across the states

of India.

The Constitutional Amendments made a number of things mandatory. Each State had to

constitute Local Self-Government Institutions (called Panchayats in rural areas) at the

village, intermediate and district levels (except for states with less than two million

population). The structure of the three tier system of local governance varied enormously

across the states of India, and in Kerala, the lowest level of Panchayat called Gram

Panchayat was vested with enormous powers to plan for economic development and

social justice. Considerable resources were also devolved on the Panchayat to plan for

development.

Decentralized governance and planning for local development calls for an exhaustive

database at the local level. Unfortunately, the Gram Panchayats in Kerala even now

have only a building register, which was their staple, as building tax was the main source

of Panchayat revenue in the erstwhile system and the line departments continue to

collect information on a number of aspects of socio-economic life of the population.

There is considerable duplication and compartmentalization in the activities of the

departments and the information, though often collected with the active cooperation of

the Panchayat, is not collated and made available to the Panchayats. In this context it is

pertinent to document the efforts of the line departments in data collection, who

collects what data, who uses it and for what purpose, has the Panchayat been able to

make a beginning in data based decision-making etc. This study is a modest attempt in

such documentation.

With a view to analyze the nature, content and data utilization of the surveys by the

various agencies, a survey of surveys was conducted in Kottathara Panchayat during the

period February – March 2003. But, the data collection process for the survey of surveys

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continued up to September 7, 2003 as information about new surveys has been coming

from the field continuously. Details were collected from the Grama Panchayat, District

Literacy Mission, Kalpetta Block Panchayat, Village Extension Office and District Rural

Development Agency. Reference period of the survey was 1997- 2003.

Details collected in the survey of surveys

• General aspects of the survey: Details regarding the requesting authority, unit of

observation, scope of the survey, sampling proportion, number of units surveyed,

recurrence, periodicity etc.

• Data collection details: Number of surveyors, qualification of surveyors, training of

surveyors, number of supervisors, selection of surveyors, person responsible for

data collection, remuneration of surveyors, duration of data collection etc.

• Questionnaire analysis: Total number of questions, number of questions per

category, type of questions etc.

• Data collection procedure: Pre-testing, collection of filled forms.

• Data processing and data utilisation.

Summary of the Survey

Major surveys conducted in the Panchayat during the period the following.

Survey Identity No.

Name of the survey Requesting authority

Unit of observation

Scope

1. Kottathara Grama Panchayat janakeeyasoothrana padhathi -Household survey-2002

Rural Development Department

Households Census

2. BPL census – 1998 State Planning Board

Households Census

3. Health Literacy Programme Wayanad District- Total Scheduled Tribe Drinking Water And Sanitation Project-2002

District Literacy Mission, Wayanad

Tribal colonies Census

4. Total sanitation survey-2002 District Rural Development Agency

Households and public places

Census

5. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Kerala household survey-2002

Board of education Households Census

6. ICDS yearly surveys (5 rounds) Social Welfare Department

Households Census

7. Health survey- 2003 Department of Health

Household Census

8. BPL census 2002 Department of Rural Development

Household Census

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Details of data collection, consolidation and utilization

Survey No.

Surveyors Training providers

Pre-testing Data consolidation Data utilization

1. Kudumbasree Members

No training

No pre-testing

Panchayat staff Not used for any planning by any agency

2. Government employees

DRDA No pre-testing

Village extension officer

Used for identifying households Below Poverty Line

3. Literacy mission preraks

District Literacy Mission

No pre-testing

Supposed to be done by the literacy mission staff

The process is not over and the authorities are not sure about its utilization

4. Kudumbasree members

DRDA No pre-testing

Panchayat staff and village extension officer

Not yet used for planning

5. Kudumbasree members

District Institute of Education and Training

No pre-testing

State level survey and consolidation details are not available

Purpose is to find out the educational status of each child

6. Anganwadi teachers

No training as it is repetitive

No pre-testing

ICDS Supposed to be helpful in the planning of child development programmes

7. Junior Public Health Nurses

No training

No pre-testing

Computerized consolidation

Consolidation process not yet completed

8. Kudumbasree members

DRDA No pre-testing

Village Extension Officer

Not completed- for identification of BPL households

Nature of Data utilization The review of surveys reveals that most of the data collected through the different

surveys are poorly utilized and not even consolidated and analyzed by the departments.

Some situations are even worse. For example total sanitation survey was conducted with

an objective to identify the households without sanitation facilities and to understand the

general condition of the public places and utilities. The plan was that the data collected

will be helpful in planning the projects, project selection, prioritization and also its impact

assessment as the Panchayat will have a database about the condition of the

Panchayat before the implementation of the projects. But, the applications for sanitary

latrines were invited even before the completion of the survey and its analysis. Hence, it

resulted in poor selection of the beneficiaries who have better living conditions with

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regard to sanitation facilities. This is a typical example of the unutilized data and the

unnecessary surveys done without clearly defining the purpose.

Data/ Survey multiplication

Data collection for ICDS yearly survey of the year 2003, health survey conducted by the

health department and the Below Poverty Line survey 2002 were simultaneously

conducted in Kottathara Panchayat during the period of May – July 2003. It was a clear

case of different line departments planning separate surveys simultaneously for

collecting more or less the same data. Such efforts end up with the multiplication of

surveys and waste of resources including manpower and time. The data collected are

more or less the same in each survey. Being an extensive survey of the households,

Below Poverty Line survey covers most of the general characteristics and backgrounds of

the households from which it is easy to draw the basic data needed for different

purposes and programmes implemented through the department of social welfare,

department of education, department of rural development, department of tribal

development etc. Above all, this kind of approach from different agencies has resulted

in developing survey fatigue among the public.

Role of Panchayat in conducting surveys

Most often, the Grama Panchayat performs the role of the mediator in the data

collection process. They are supposed to select the surveyors, distribute survey forms,

collect the filled in questionnaires, and sometimes consolidate it manually without taking

any measure for quality control and hand over the collected data to the requesting

authorities. The role, which Panchayat performs in the case of surveys, can be termed as

of a ‘Mailbox’ collecting information from the field and sending it to the requesting

authorities. Generally, the Panchayat has very little access to the information collected

although it is through the Panchayat. Sometimes, the Panchayat is not even informed

about the surveys and the type of data collected while the survey itself is to be

conducted in the Panchayat area by the Panchayat staff. For example, the Panchayat

staff were not able to give any details about the health survey and the literacy mission

survey. Even they were not informed of the purpose of data collection and the nature of

data collected. Once the data collection process (sometimes consolidation also) is

over, the Panchayat people are not even informed about where the data is stored,

what is done with this data and how it will help in the development programmes

implemented through the various departments. The Panchayat does not keep any

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record of the surveys to know the type of surveys that were conducted in the Panchayat

area. They were not sure about the surveyors involved in various surveys and were trying

to calculate it very roughly in consultation with one another in the Panchayat. The best

example of the right hand not knowing what is done by the left hand is the total

sanitation survey. The data collection for the total sanitation programme was co-

ordinated by the Panchayat, also the task of identifying the beneficiaries was vested

with the Panchayat, but the data collected through the survey for the very same

purpose was not accessible to the Panchayat.

General Observations

• No records with regard to surveys were kept in any office.

• Only the person who was involved in the survey knew the details of the survey.

• In most of the cases, there was not a designated person who can be identified as

the in charge person for the survey.

• The survey forms were not available in the concerned offices.

• Data consolidation is very rare and also poor.

• No computerization of the data.

• Filled in survey forms after completion of data collection were often kept very

carelessly near the windows, corner of the room etc.

• Contradictory information was provided by different persons and different offices

with regard to the same survey.

• Even the purpose of the survey was not clear to surveyors and Panchayat.

• Most of the requesting authorities simply instructed the Panchayat to conduct the

survey without giving any orientation.

• No pre-testing was conducted in most of the cases.

• Data utilization is hardly ever done.

• Most of the surveys included the very same questions resulting in multiplication of

surveys.

• Surveyors were the same in all the surveys.

• Did not follow any criteria for selecting the surveyors.

• Panchayat or the offices responsible for the survey do not know where the data

are kept and whether it is used for any purpose.

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Examples of the problems encountered during data collection

• In the Panchayat office, the Head clerk was the key informant who was very co-

operative and informative. But, he had to discuss with the other staff about each

case, as they don’t have any records of the surveys carried out in the Panchayat.

But, he was transferred to another Panchayat during the time of data collection

for the survey of surveys. As the other staff members in the Panchayat were not

sure about details of the surveys the source of information suddenly vanished.

• The district literacy mission coordinator was not sure about the purpose of survey

conducted by the district literacy mission.

• The survey conducted by the Grama Panchayat as per the instruction of the

State Planning Board also included an energy survey as annexure. But none of

the surveyors could collect the information, as the questions were poorly framed

and there was hardly any pre testing of the questionnaire.

• Panchayat staff were saying that during the reference period around 10 -12

surveys were conducted in the Panchayat, but they could not list out all of them.

No record was kept in the Panchayat with regard to the surveys conducted in the

Panchayat.

• BPL census includes seven types of forms, but some of the forms were not

available in any office.

• Total sanitation survey had two parts - household sanitation and public sanitation

facilities. The purpose of the survey was to identify the households and areas,

which need immediate attention. But, even before the completion of the survey,

applications for sanitary latrine was invited and also sanctioned. This resulted in

poor selection of the beneficiaries, as they already had sanitary latrines. The

Panchayat staff, ward members and also the members of kudumbasree units

informed this.

• Panchayat and village extension office had different opinions with regard to the

duration of the BPL census.

Result of the survey

As mentioned above, the data collected from different sources for the survey of surveys

differ in case of each and every survey, many of which are also incomplete; resulted in a

situation where many relevant pieces of information regarding the surveys was not

available.

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Let us illustrate some of the problems of the surveys with an example, namely that of the

Kottathara Grama Panchayat Janakeeyasoothrana Padhathi (2002-2007). The State

Planning Board suggested the survey with an objective to identify the roles and

responsibilities of different working groups based on the local situation in the Panchayat.

It was said to be a repetitive one, but not mandatory for all the Panchayats. Kottathara

Panchayat staff members are not clear about the recurrence of survey in the

Panchayat.

The data collection was done by the kudumbasree members, and the Panchayat does

not have the actual number of surveyors involved in the work. It was calculated as an

average of total households / survey forms per surveyor. The data collection was the

responsibility of elected ward members. Data collection was carried out without

adopting any specific supervision methods. Also no specific measure was taken to

control the quality of the survey. The surveyors were asked to collect the details by giving

the survey forms without any proper orientation or training. Additional survey on energy

was added as an appendix to the questionnaire, which was requested by the

department of energy. But data collection was not possible because the population did

not reveal the facts.

Ward members supplied the survey forms to surveyors and collected them back, from

kudumbasree units. Collected forms are stored in the Panchayat office under the

responsibility of Panchayat secretary.

Responsibility of consolidation was vested on Panchayat board. Time taken for

consolidation was about one week. It was manually consolidated. Even ward wise

consolidation was done by the Panchayat staff themselves. No reports were prepared

and also there was no presentation of results in any public body.

Consolidation sheet was given to the Panchayat board soon after consolidation.

Nobody including the Panchayat staff and Panchayat board used the results of survey.

It was not used for any kind of planning, monitoring and evaluation.

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Questionnaire for Kottathara Panchayat Janakeeyasoothrana Padhathi household survey

Sl. No. Nature of Questions No. of questions

1 Household Identification details 8

2. Individual details of family members 6

3. Employment aspects 11

4. Educational aspects 13

5. Health status of members 9

7. Land possession/ assets 17

8. Type of house 7

9. Sanitation facilities 1

10 Access to Drinking water 2

11. Cooking fuel 3

12. Lighting/ electricity 1

13. Domestic animals 4

14. Access to roads 1

15. Income of the household from different sources 8

16. Debts details 5

17. Ownership of vehicles 10

18. Household appliances 17

19. Regular Assistance from government 16

20. Participation in gramasabha 1

21. Participation in community organizations 3

22. Preferences in cultivation 2

23. Participation in voluntary activities 1

24. Suggestions on local development activities 1

Total 147

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Conclusions

The Gram Panchayat does not have a complete list of households residing in the

Panchayat. The only department, which has a list of households, is the health

department, but the list cannot be considered complete.

Most of the surveys carried out by line departments and agencies are census of

households. But the department uses only a small fraction of the information. There is

practically no effort made by any department to reconcile the data with other sources.

The lack of a baseline database has not allowed for any inter temporal comparisons as

well. This is a major lacuna considering the fact that many censuses are repeated at

regular intervals. Tracing households in time, for example in crossing poverty line, would

have thrown very important policy lessons.

The amount of manpower and resources wasted is stupendous and it is time a database

is built up at the Gram Panchayat level, first of all for use by the Panchayat Board for

local planning and service provision and for easy reference by other departments.